Pregnancy-associated neuromyelitis optical spectrum disorder combined with primary Sjögren's syndrome: A critical illness case report / 北京大学学报(医学版)

Central nervous system involvement in primary Sjögren's syndrome (pSS) is less common and usually presents as white matter lesions, neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD), or transverse myelitis. NMOSD is an immune-mediated inflammatory demyelinating disease of the central nervous system with a high rate of relapse and significant disability. Studies have shown that patients with pSS combined with NMOSD have more severe symptoms and poorer prognosis. Here, we present a case of critical illness in pregnancy-associated NMOSD combined with Sjögren's syndrome. The patient was a 30-year-old pregnant woman with a history of Sjögren's syndrome who was diagnosed with NMOSD. She received combination therapy with steroids, intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG), and hydroxychloroquine during pregnancy, resulting in partial resolution of numbness below the waist. However, due to irregular medication adherence outside the hospital setting, she developed weakness in her right lower limb accompanied by inability to move it, while her left lower limb still had some mobility but occasional numbness along with urinary and fecal incontinence. Ten days later, she was admitted to the emergency department where an emergency cesarean section was performed to deliver a healthy baby boy. However, her condition worsened postpartum as she developed high fever accompanied by bilateral lower limb paralysis and weakness along with loss of voluntary control over urination and defecation. The patient underwent ano-ther course of treatment consisting of steroids and IVIG; however there was limited improvement in symptoms observed after this intervention. Following administration of rituximab for the first time, the patient developed urinary tract infection which was successfully managed before continuing regular infusions. In later stages the patient could walk slightly with a limp and regained control over urination and defecation, allowing her to resume normal activities. This case suggests that combination therapy with steroids, IVIG, and hydroxychloroquine should be considered for the patients with pregnancy-associated NMOSD combined with Sjögren's syndrome. Rituximab can significantly improve symptoms such as postpartum paralysis in patients with NMOSD, however, there may be a risk of infection associated with its use.

Mechanism and safety of triptolide in treatment of rheumatoid arthritis / 中草药

Objective: To explore the mechanism of triptolide in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and analyze its safety. Methods: A total of 60 rats were randomly divided into control group, model group, methotrexate (MTX) group and triptolide (TP) low, medium and high dose groups with 10 rats in each group. In addition to the control group, the rats in the other groups were established type II collagen-induced RA model. After the successful establishment of the model, rats in MTX group were given 0.4 mg/kg MTX by gavage from the 3rd week. Rats in TP high, middle, and low dose groups were given 0.1, 0.2, and 0.4 mg/kg TP by gavage. Rats in control group and model group were given equal volume distilled water once a day for 4 weeks. The paw swelling of rats in each group was compared. The percentage of CD4+CD25+and CD4+Foxp3+ Treg was detected by flow cytometry. The levels of IL-10, IL-17, TNF-α, VEGF, IFN-γ, TGF-β, ALT, and AST in the serum were detected. The pathological morphology of ankle joint was observed under microscope. The expression levels of IL-10, IL-17, TNF-alpha, VEGF, IFN-γ, and TGF-β were detected by immunohistochemistry. Results: Pathological sections showed that synovial cells were proliferated significantly in the ankle joint of rats in the model group, with infiltration of a large number of inflammatory cells such as monocytes and lymphocytes, new capillaries, thinning of bone trabeculae and serious erosion of cartilage surface. The degree of pathological changes in other groups was significantly less than that in model group. After treatment, the degree of joint swelling and arthritis index in MTX and TP groups were significantly decreased compared with those before treatment (P 0.05). There was no significant difference between MTX group and TP high dose group (P > 0.05). Conclusion: TP is effective in treating type II collagen-induced arthritis in rats, which can significantly improve joint swelling. Its mechanism is related to promoting the expression of IL-10 and TGF-β, increasing the proportion of Treg cells, inhibiting the expression of IL-17, TNF-α, VEGF and IFN-γ, and has no obvious hepatotoxicity.

Cross-sectional study on clinic behavior and therapeutic status of patients with psoriatic arthritis in multi-center / 北京大学学报(医学版)

OBJECTIVE@#To investigate and analyse the features of treatment behavior and standardized therapeutic status of patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA).@*METHODS@#Out patients diagnosed with PsA in People's Hospital of Peking University, Haidian Hospital, People's Hospital of Jianyang City, Central Hospital of Xinxiang City, Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine Hospital of Cangzhou City, The Third Hospital of Hebei Medical University from February to June 2018 were enrolled in this investigation. The data including gender, age of onset, course of disease, site of first consulting department, time of the first visit and definite diagnosis, follow-up interval, and use of conventional disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (cDMARDs) and biological DMARDs (BioDMARDs) were collected and analyzed.@*RESULTS@#In the cross-sectional study, 133 PsA patients were investigated. The mean age of onset was (47±11) years, the male to female ratio was 1.3:1, and mean disease duration was (16±8) years. Rheumatology department was the most common site of first hospital visit (37.6%, 50/133). Orthopedics department and dermatological department were visited by 24.1% (32/133) and 23.3% (31/133), respectively. Ratio of definite diagnosis was the highest in rheumatology department which was 78% (39/50). The ratio of definite diagnosis of dermatological department was the second highest, which was 19.4% (6/31). The mean definite diagnosed time was 7.6 months since the first visit of PsA patients, and diagnosed time was the shortest in rheumatology department, which had statistical significance. 37% PsA patients were treated appropriately in 3 months, 17.3% PsA patients were treated in 3-6 months and 40.2% patients with PsA visited their doctor more than once a year. 48.8% patients hadn't received standardized treatment before visit, and one third patients never received the therapy of DMARDs. Methotrexate was the most commonly used cDMARDs (58.3%), followed by leflunomide (20.5%) and BioDMARDs (19.7%), and biologicals were tumor necrosis factor antagonists.@*CONCLUSION@#In this multi-center study, the first visit department of PsA patients was widely distributed, and most patients were definitely diagnosed in Rheumatology Department. The time of their first visit and definite diagnosis were delayed due to multi factors. Nearly half of the patients did not receive standardized treatment.